Envelope for a laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927061-B2
Application number	US-201214415305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2012
Priority date	Jul 27, 2012
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to an envelope ( 20 ) for a laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation, the envelope ( 20 ) enclosing at least one cavity ( 16 ) having included therein a gas generating agent ( 18 ) having an unactivated configuration and an activated configuration, the gas generating agent ( 18 ) being adapted to change from the unactivated configuration to the activated configuration, such as to increase a gas pressure inside the cavity ( 16 ), in response to an increase in temperature in the cavity ( 16 ), the envelope ( 20 ) being configured such that a volume of the envelope ( 20 ) increases in response to the increase in gas pressure inside the cavity ( 16 ), wherein the envelope ( 20 ) is made of a polymer composite material ( 8 ), the polymer composite material ( 8 ) including a fluid tight layer which is covered by a reinforcing layer comprising a polymer material, the rein-forcing layer being configured to limit formation of wrinkles in the fluid tight layer ( 8 b ) when subjecting the envelope ( 20 ) to one, or a plurality of activation/deactivation cycles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Envelope for a laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation, the envelope enclosing at least one cavity having included therein a gas generating agent having an unactivated configuration and an activated configuration,
the gas generating agent being adapted to change from the unactivated configuration to the activated configuration, such as to increase a gas pressure inside the cavity, in response to an increase in temperature in the cavity,
the envelope being configured such that a volume of the envelope increases in response to the increase in gas pressure inside the cavity,
wherein the envelope is made of a polymer composite material, the polymer composite material including a fluid tight layer which is covered by a reinforcing layer comprising a polymer material, the reinforcing layer being configured to limit formation of wrinkles in the fluid tight layer when subjecting the envelope to one, or a plurality of, activation/deactivation cycles.

2. Envelope according to claim 1 , comprising a porous layer, in particular an expanded PTFE layer, having a thickness between 30 and 400 μm, in particular between 70 and 250 μm.

3. Envelope according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing layer is bonded to the fluid tight layer by a PU resin or by other thermoplastic material, e.g. FEP or PFA.

4. Envelope according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing layer is configured to provide for additional thermal protection.

5. Envelope according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing layer comprises a porous polymer material.

6. Envelope according to claim 5 , wherein the porous polymer material has a density of 0.2 to 1 g/cm 3 .

7. Envelope according to claim 5 , wherein the porous polymer material comprises an expanded fluoropolymer material.

8. Envelope according to claim 7 , wherein the expanded fluoropolymer material includes expanded PTFE or is expanded PTFE.

9. Envelope according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing layer has a composite structure including a porous polymer layer ( 8 e ) and at least one additional polymer material in contact with the porous polymer layer at least partially penetrating pores formed in the porous polymer layer.

10. Envelope according to claim 9 , wherein the additional polymer material penetrates pores of the porous layer up to a penetration depth between 10 and 50 μm.

11. Envelope according to claim 9 , wherein the additional polymer material forms an essentially homogeneous polymer layer at least on the side of the porous polymer layer facing towards the fluid tight layer.

12. Envelope according to claim 9 , wherein the reinforcing layer is bonded to the fluid tight layer by the additional polymer material.

13. Envelope according to claim 1 , wherein the envelope is made of a metal/polymers composite material including a fluid tight layer of metallic material.

14. Envelope according to claim 13 , wherein the metallic material is Al or an Al based alloy.

15. Laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation, comprising
a first layer,
a second layer,
at least one envelope according to claim 1 , the envelope provided in between the first layer and the second layer,
the first layer, the second layer and the cavity being arranged such that a distance between the first layer and the second layer increases in response to the increase in gas pressure inside the cavity.

16. Fabric with a composite structure, the composite structure comprising a laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation or an envelope for a laminar structure providing adaptive thermal insulation according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Pigliucci Anatolio
• Hauer Stefan
• Gore W L & Ass Gmbh

Inventors

• Pigliucci Anatolio
• Hauer Stefan

Classifications

• B32B5/26

  another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)} · CPC title

• Y10T428/1334

  Nonself-supporting tubular film or bag [e.g., pouch, envelope, packet, etc.] · CPC title

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title

• B32B5/024

  Woven fabric · CPC title

• B32B2571/00

  Protective equipment · CPC title